Chapter 4

No matter how much Ling Yue doted on Lu Shiqi, whenever she saw him eat, she would always have a heart attack.

He always looked like he had a grudge against food.

It was as if someone had poisoned the food, and eating one more bite would poison him to death.

The chef at their house couldn’t possibly make bad food, Lu Shiqi just had a naturally low appetite and a serious picky eating habit, he didn’t like anything they had at home.

He did like junk food, like instant noodles in bags, or various snacks that were low in nutrition but high in calories.

But no matter how much he liked them, he wouldn’t eat them for two meals in a row, and he didn’t like restaurants or street food, his taste was very difficult to please.

In the past, Ling Yue had also been ruthless. To cure his bad habit, she thought she would simply starve him for a few days and see if he would finally eat.

As a result, Lu Shiqi was actually very resilient to hunger, and he was stubborn. He refused to give in for two days, he didn’t even drink water, and almost ended up in the hospital.

There was no way, after that, the whole family could only give in to Lu Shiqi.

Finally, things were different now.

Because there was a Pei Manman at their dining table.

The way he ate, in big bites and with such a fragrant aroma, was simply the most perfect and healing child eating broadcast in Ling Yue’s heart.

He obediently used slightly smaller children’s utensils, his eyes fixed on the food in his bowl, not looking around at all.

His gaze was determined and enthusiastic, his hands and mouth were busy with their own things, but they cooperated harmoniously, stuffing food into his mouth, even the green vegetables were chewed with gusto.

He was so well-behaved.

He ate so deliciously.

Most children don’t like to eat vegetables, it’s said that it’s because children’s taste buds are more sensitive than adults, so they can taste bitterness that adults can’t.

But Pei Manman ate vegetables like he was eating meat, without any hesitation or pause.

It was healing and made you want to eat too.

Ling Yue needed to maintain her figure, she was extremely disciplined about her diet, and she rarely ate rice.

Seeing the little guy eat so happily, she couldn’t help but eat a few more bites.

But then she felt even more (xīn téng, a feeling of sympathy and concern).

Needless to say, how much good food the little guy had eaten, he probably didn’t even get enough to eat, otherwise, why would he even eat vegetables so obediently?

Even if this could be explained by taste, Pei Manman’s body was much smaller than other children his age, which was the most compelling evidence.

Ling Yue quickly put more beef on his plate, “Slowly, eat meat. Children need to eat more meat to grow up quickly.”

She was also worried that the little guy was embarrassed to take it himself, so he chose to eat vegetables.

And that was exactly the case.

Previously, no matter which relative’s house Pei Manman lived in, he didn’t dare to take meat on his own.

Although he really wanted to eat it, the adults always said that it was bad for children to eat meat, that eating too much would make them stupid, and they should eat more vegetables to be smart.

At first, Pei Manman really believed it, but later he realized it was a lie.

Because this smart-stupid theory only applied to him, other children didn’t need to follow it, and adults would even actively put meat in their bowls.

Pei Manman wasn’t feeling unbalanced.

He knew that he was just a burden that no one wanted, it was good enough that someone was willing to take care of him, he couldn’t ask for too much.

Remembering these things was just a survival rule that a child had figured out through his instincts.

To avoid being disliked, to avoid causing trouble for others, he would try his best to avoid it as long as he realized it.

When he grabbed the cheese fried egg with his hand at first, it seemed like he was in a hurry, but it was actually because he was still embarrassed to use chopsticks, afraid that he would dirty the chopsticks.

Now that Ling Yue had put a few pieces of beef on his plate, he would still subconsciously steal a glance at Ling Yue’s expression first.

Only after confirming that there was no displeasure on Ling Yue’s face, did he feel relieved to open his mouth and eat it.

This kind of look, wanting to eat so much, but still needing to observe people’s expressions first, who wouldn’t feel (xīn téng, a feeling of sympathy and concern) after seeing it?

Anyway, Ling Yue felt more and more (xīn téng, a feeling of sympathy and concern), and she put another large chicken wing on his plate.

“This chicken wing is big, Slowly, eat this one, it’s delicious.”

The chicken wing had the bones removed, wrapped in potato strips, and coated with a thick braised sauce; it was especially good with rice.

Pei Manman quickly finished a bowl of rice, scraping it clean, not a single grain left.

Then he looked at Lu Shiqi, he had only eaten a few bites, the rice in his bowl was still the same as before, only slightly bruised on the outside.

Ling Yue didn’t want to look, afraid that she would have another heart attack.

So, she focused her attention on Pei Manman.

“Slowly, you’re so good, you ate so cleanly, you’re a good child who cherishes food.”

Ling Yue didn’t hesitate to praise him, just for not being picky about his food, she could praise him once every time she saw it.

“Are you full? Do you want another bowl?”

Pei Manman was still savoring the aftertaste of the braised sauce mixed with rice, his mouth was full of flavor.

Let alone another bowl, he could eat two more bowls of rice with sauce, no problem.

But his rationality was warning him in his heart, one bowl was enough, he couldn’t eat anymore, eating too much would really make people dislike him.

His eyes lingered on the beef and chicken wings, the little guy squeezed out from his mouth, “… I, I’m full, I won’t eat anymore.”

But facing the food he wanted, the longing in his eyes couldn’t be faked.

No matter how hard his mouth was, his eyes were reluctant to leave.

Ling Yue almost burst out laughing at the little guy’s reaction.

She simply took his bowl and scooped another bowl of rice, “But Aunt thinks you can eat a little more.”

“Slowly, try again, see how much you can eat?”

Ling Yue’s words were also very considerate of the child’s self-esteem, Pei Manman didn’t know that his heart had been seen through, and he got another bowl of rice, the expression on his face relaxed and happy.

“Then I, I’ll try…”

The little guy knew how to disguise himself too.

Because he had already eaten a bowl of rice, he didn’t eat so eagerly this time, he slowed down his pace of eating rice, seizing the opportunity to stuff more food into his mouth.

The chef then brought over a plate of fried chicken nuggets.

A strong, unique aroma quickly filled the air. Pei Manman smelled it, looked up, and saw the chef placing the fried chicken in front of Lu Shiqi.

“This is the chicken nuggets I made again after adjusting the recipe. Young Master, try it?”

The fried chicken had a crispy golden-brown crust, cooked to perfection. Half of it was drizzled with garlic-flavored sauce, and the other half was sprinkled with special dry spices.

The chef looked confident, as if he thought this plate of fried chicken nuggets would definitely win over Lu Shiqi.

As a result, Lu Shiqi just lifted his eyelids, didn’t even use his chopsticks to pick up a piece to taste, and said rudely, “Too oily, it doesn’t look appetizing, I don’t want to eat it.”

“…”

The chef couldn’t believe it, he immediately became anxious.

“It’s not oily, it’s air-fried, there’s only a thin layer of oil on the surface, it’s definitely not oily to eat.”

Lu Shiqi didn’t buy it, “It looks oily, I don’t want to eat it.”

The chef had definitely been dealt many blows by Lu Shiqi, and he instantly felt like he was having a stress response, “It’s an illusion, it’s really not oily at all.”

“At least try a bite, the taste will definitely not disappoint you.”

Unfortunately, Lu Shiqi was cold and ruthless, “It doesn’t look delicious, I don’t want to try it.”

“…”

The chef was dealt a huge blow, but he stood there unwilling to leave, still putting some pressure on Lu Shiqi.

So, he reluctantly used his chopsticks to pick at it, picking up the smallest piece and looking at it.

But in the end, he didn’t eat it, he simply put it down, “Forget it, I really don’t want to eat it.”

“…”

The chef was about to turn to stone right there.

Ling Yue couldn’t stand it anymore, she said, “Bring that plate of fried chicken over here. He’s not going to eat it anyway, let Slowly have it.”

Most children can’t resist the temptation of this kind of fried food, especially fried chicken.

Seeing the golden color of the chicken nuggets, smelling the aroma of the dipping sauce, Pei Manman had already lost control of his gaze, stealing glances from time to time.

It looks so delicious…

Why doesn’t little brother like it…

It would be so good if he could eat it…

He likes it, he can definitely finish it all.

Just as he was thinking this, Ling Yue actually had the chef bring the chicken nuggets to him.

The aroma was even stronger, the braised chicken wings in his bowl didn’t smell good anymore, Pei Manman swallowed, his eyes glistening with water.

“Slowly, eat it. Brother doesn’t want it anyway; this whole plate is yours.”

Yes, this is what little brother doesn’t want.

He had heard it with his own ears just now.

Because it was food that no one wanted, Pei Manman felt relatively relieved to accept it.

He used his chopsticks to pick up a piece with garlic-flavored sauce, blew on it to cool it down, and immediately took a big bite.

The sauce was seasoned just right, not too salty or too bland, the rich aroma enveloped the crispy chicken skin, and the chicken inside was tender and juicy, the texture was rich when you bit into it, and the flavor lingered on your lips and teeth.

After swallowing a bite, Pei Manman’s eyes lit up instantly.

This was definitely the best fried chicken nugget he had ever eaten in his short life.

“Delicious! So delicious!”

He didn’t even bother to wipe the sauce off his lips, Pei Manman quickly took another big bite.

The chicken was so tender that he didn’t need to chew much, it just slid down, very friendly for a young child like him, and the deliciousness he felt was doubled as a result.

All the unpleasantness paused at this moment.

The happiness brought by a delicious meal was irreplaceable.

“So good, Aunt, so good!”

He was so happy he could barely speak.

“Yes, it’s good that you like it, Slowly, eat as much as you want, don’t rush, chew slowly.”

That’s right.

Children should enjoy eating everything.

“Aunt, let’s eat together…”

Ling Yue liked him even more.

He didn’t just eat for himself, he always thought of the adults.

“Thank you, Slowly, but Aunt is full, you just eat by yourself.”

The chef, who had lost his confidence with Lu Shiqi, finally found it back in front of Pei Manman. Although he had only met Pei Manman, his fondness for the child was already at its peak.

The only one who wasn’t happy was Lu Shiqi.

All of Ling Yue and the chef’s attention was on Pei Manman, they looked lively and harmonious, and he felt like he was being isolated.

He felt anxious inside.

It was true that he didn’t want to eat the fried chicken nuggets, but he would rather throw them away than give them to Pei Manman.

He couldn’t help but speak up, “That plate of fried chicken nuggets is for me!”

Pei Manman was eating happily.

His cheeks were puffed out, his lips were oily, and when he heard Lu Shiqi say this, he was a little helpless on the spot, widening his innocent and pitiful eyes to look at him.

Ling Yue remained calm, “It was for you, but you didn’t want it.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want it!”

“You said you wouldn’t eat it.”

“I just didn’t want to eat it earlier, I put it down, I’ll eat it later!”

“It won’t be as good when it gets cold. If you want to eat it later, ask the chef to make you some fresh ones.”

“… I’ll eat it now!”

Lu Shiqi was determined to get the chicken nuggets back, but Ling Yue didn’t give him all of them, she only gave him three small pieces.

“Finish these first, I don’t think you can finish them all.”

Lu Shiqi knew that Ling Yue was trying to provoke him, but at this moment, his desire to prevent Pei Manman from eating the chicken nuggets was even stronger, so he gritted his teeth and actually finished all the chicken nuggets.

Ling Yue was very satisfied with this.

She didn’t expect that bringing Pei Manman to live with them would also have the added benefit of making Lu Shiqi eat obediently.